Thieves Target New York City Elderly in String of Robberies

Thieves have been targeting elderly people across New York City in a string of unrelated robberies.

According to NBC 4 New York, the victims were in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, and two victims were elderly women in wheelchairs.

The latest robbery occurred Wednesday, when two thieves grabbed a purse from an 84-year-old woman as she sat on a bench at a bus stop in the Bronx. Police released video of the suspects going through her purse in an elevator.

Another robbery in the Bronx occurred when robbers punched a 71-year-old man in the face and knocked him to the ground last Friday. The robbers took his wallet and ran away, police say. Police are looking for the suspect, 26-year-old Remington Soler, in that case.

Earlier this month in the Bronx, two men grabbed a 72-year-old woman’s bag after they approached her from behind and punched her in the face.

Last month, men attacked a 61-year-old woman in Queens to grab her bag. The men threw her to the ground, punched her in the face, and ran off with her purse.

In that same month, a robber pushed a 74-year-old man with a cane down a flight of stairs. Police are still looking for the suspect.

A few of the robberies ended in arrests. Police arrested a 37-year-old in the Bronx Tuesday for robbing an 86-year-old woman in a wheelchair, NBC 4 New York reported. NBC 4 New York also reported that a 26-year-old man was arrested for robbing a 93-year-old Manhattan woman in a wheelchair, taking $600 of her Social Security money.